W. VOLLEYBALL

PU volleyball advances to semifinals

November 12, 2008

Misenheimer, NC – The Pfeiffer University Falcons swept Queens University of Charlotte in a Conference Carolinas quarterfinal volleyball match Wednesday night in Merner gym. The home crowd spurred the Lady Falcons on to a 3-0 win over the Royals (25-20, 25-14, 25-23).

Pfeiffer took the first set by five points, but the teams played were evenly through the majority of the game. The Royals stayed within a two points of the Falcons until Pfeiffer took command at 20-17. Sarah Burt (Pensecola, FL) and Veronica Arenander (Cincinnati, OH) played well defensively at the net for Queens, but Petra Ljubicic (Asheboro, NC) and Lauren Spiotta (Batavia, NY) found ways to attack through the attempted blocks.

Pfeiffer benefitted from consistent serving throughout the whole match, tallying eight service aces as a team throughout the three games. This proved to be a strong asset in game two. Pfeiffer went up 6-3 early on and never looked back. Long rallies were forced due to blocking by the Queens front line and the relentless attacking of Ljubicic and Spiotta. Fortunately for Pfeiffer, the Falcons’ offense prevailed. The Lady Falcons took the set 25-14.

Brittany Dickens (Wake Forest, NC) was the dominant force for the Lady Falcons in game three, with nine of her 13 total kills coming in this final set. She tallied only one error in game three. Queens middle hitters Brittany Harvey (Matthews, NC) and Tanisha Lea (Efland, NC) kept their team in a slight lead for most of the game, but Dickens gave her team the final push needed to finish the match in three games.

Pfeiffer was led by Dickens who tallied 13 kills. Morgan Liebert (Huntersville, NC) had 29 assists and a team high four aces. Brittney Poole (Sparta, NC) notched 12 digs and Victoria Parrish (Henderson, NC) had three blocks.

The Royals were led by Keatin McKenzie (Coral Springs, FL) with 11 kills. Burt tallied 3 blocks, 23 assists, and once service ace. Arenander had 10 digs.

Queens ends their season 8-23 overall. Pfeiffer will travel to host institution Lees-McRae College to play in the semifinals on Friday.